Trolley for electric railways



(No Model.)

B. K. LANDIS. TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. No. 599,393. v Patented Feb. 22,1898.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ww/zlw m: NORRIS PETERS co PNOYO-LITHO., msumm'ou. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

EDWARD K. LANDIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,393, dated February 22, 1898.

Application filed March 5,1897. Serial No. 625,962. (No model.)

To'aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD K. LANDIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolleys for Electric Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates generally to currentcollecting devices adapted to be mounted on the roofs of electrically-propelled cars for the purpose of transmitting current from an overhead suspended conductor to the motor on the car. It is more particularly intended to .be applied to trolley poles or arms hinged to the top of the car on a universal joint and provided at its free or upper end with a grooved contact-wheel underrunning the suspended conductor and held against it by the action of spring devices arranged on the top of the car adjacent to the base of the trolleyarm in such manner that it will cause the trolley-arm to exert a constant upward pressure upon the conducting-wire.

The specific object of my invention is, first, to hold the trolley-pole from jumping off the overhead wire when the car is passing over switches, supports, and around curves by merely exerting a downward pull upon the ordinary cord connected with the upper end of the trolley-arm and extended downward behind the rear platform of the car; secondly, to enable the trolley-arm when, by reason of there being an absence of tension on the cord, it does jump the wire to be brought to a center and put into engagement with the wire with the greatest possible certainty and expedition.

The improvement embodying my invention is so constructed in the preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the drawings that it may be applied to the most common type of underrunning trolley-arms Without any alteration of the latter. In other words, the device shown in the drawings is in the nature of an attachment to the ordinary trolley-pole, although it is obvious that the trolley-pole my invention or the invention be appropriately modified to make its application pos sible to other types of current-collecting devices than the universally-hinged underrunning trolley-pole.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the rear part of a car, the con ducting-wire, and a trolley-arm embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the conducting-wire and the upper part of a trolley-arm embodying my invention, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

M is the car 5 N, the overhead conductingwire A, the trolley pole or arm, and F the cord for operating the trolley.

The trolley-arm may be attached to the car in any convenient manner. In the drawings I have indicated, although I have not shown it in detail, a common construction wherein the lower end of the pole is hinged on a transverse axis of a frame, which is pivoted upon a vertical pin supported upon a bed-plate on the roof of the car, a longitudinally-extending spiral spring being arranged to exert an appropriate tension upon the frame and the trolley-pole so as to maintain a constant upward pressure of the pole against the wire. Detailed description is unnecessary, as the method of securing the trolley-pole to the car forms no part of my invention.

B is the trolley-wheel, suitably grooved and pivotally supported within the terminal fork of the trolley-pole.

D is a frame consisting of two levers in termediately pivoted on the axis of the trolleywheel on either side thereof and having wings D D at their rear termini. These wings are shown as extending in two directions, obliquely backward and directly forward, and lie normally in a substantially horizontal plane. The levers of the frame are connected at their forward ends by the crosspiece (1 which may be, as shown, pivotally secured to the levers or may be integral therewith, so as to constitute a unitary frame. The cross-piece of the frame is shown provided with a hook, to which one end of the operating-cord is secured. A two-part segment or spring-support E is secured fixedly to the itself might be reconstructed so as to embody trolley-pole intermediately below its forked end by means of a collar surrounding the pole. Spiral springs S connect the outer ends of this support with the corresponding levers of the frame D at points just beyond the pivots of the frame.

The operating-cord is shown provided with two ends, one end, f, being secured to the trolley-pole itself, and the other end, which consists of a spring 3, being secured to the crosspiece D of the frame D. The spring 8 is stronger than the spring S, and the end f is quite slack, as shown.

The operation of the device is as follows: In going around curves or over switches, frogs, or supports, or at any point in the line where the conductor in the carhas reason to apprehend a disengagement of the trolley with the wire, the conductor pulls the rope sufficiently to move the forward ends of the levers of the frame D into such position that the rear ends or wings of the frame D are moved obliquely upwardly, so that the ends thereof lie-at a higher elevation than the conducting-wire. Should the wheel jump the wire, one or the other of the wings of the frame D will immediately engage the wire and force the wheel back into engagement. In case the wheel should be disengaged, as is most frequently the case, at a time when there is no tension on the cord the pole will be prevented from flying up by one of the wings engaging the wire. The conductor in the car, by pulling down on the cord a sufficient distance, will first throw the wings into their obliquely-upward position and then slightly depress the free end of the trolley-pole. Instead of then carefully centering the wheel and bringing it up intermediately under the wire and putting the wheel into operative engagement therewith (which he often succeeds in doing only after repeated efiorts) the conductor need only relieve the tension on the cord, and the wing with which the wire is engaged will'slide upon the wire and bring the wheel into engagement with the least possible loss of time and greatest certainty.

The double connection of the cord with the trolley-pole and the pivoted frame has been devised for the following purpose: If the cord is pulled down a sufficient distance to elevate the wings into the position shown in dotted lines, but not a snflicient distance to depress the pole itself, the end of the cord will be drawn taut, but the spring 3 will not be expanded, owing to its tensile strength being greater than that of the spring S. If the wings, while in this elevated position,'strike an obstruction, such as a cross-wire, they will be temporarily depressed so as to ride beneath the obstruction, the springs expanding to allow this depression. As soon as the wings pass the obstruction the spring 8 will immediately contract and return the wings to their elevated position.

The wings D and D are provided with forwardly-extending ends, so that if one of the wings when elevated should strike a crosswire intersecting the line-wire at a very acute angle there will be no danger of the wing being wedged between the intersecting wires, as might occur if the wing were not provided with its forward extension.

The wings D and D need not be of the precise shape or in the precise position relative to the grooved contact-wheel shown, it-being necessary only that they shall lie adjacent to the said wheel and act either to afford an automatic means for maintaining the wheel in contact with the wire or to afford a readilymanipulated manually-operated means for replacing the wheel in contact with the wire.

The invention described is simple in construction, reliable in operation, and cheap in cost. It may be attached to a trolley-pole of any construction. It may be modified to adapt it to various types of current-collecting wheels or devices. I do not restrict myself either to the details described or to its application to the specific type of current-collecting device illustrated.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a pivoted device having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end.

2. The combination with a current-collector a dapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a pivoted device having a win g on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, and means to raise and depress said wings.

3. The combination wit-h a current-collector adapted to engage a cond ucting-wire, of apivoted device having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its freeend, means to normally retain said wings in a substantially horizontal position, and means to move said wings into an obliquely-upward position.

4. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a pivoted device having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, a spring, one end secured to said device and the other end to a support connected with said currentcollector, the spring operating to hold said wings in a substantially horizontal position, and means connected with said device to turn said wings on their pivots so as to elevate the free ends thereof.

5. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of an intermediately-pivoted frame having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, a spring-support fixedly connected with the current-collector, a spring secured to and between said support and the end of the frame carrying the wings, and a cord attached to the other end of said frame.

6. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of an intermediately-pivoted frame having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the extremity of said current-collector, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, a spring-support fixedly connected with the current-collector, springs secured to and between said support and the end of the frame carrying the wings, the said springs, when unopposed, maintaining said wings in a substantially horizontal position, and a cord attached to the other end of said frame, adapted when under tension to oppose the action of said springs and turn said wings on their pivots so as to elevate the free ends thereof.

7. The combination with a trolley-pole having a grooved wheel adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a frame adapted to lie on either side of said wheel, pivoted intermediately on the axis of said wheel, and having a wing on each side of said current-collector, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the groove of said roller, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, a spring-support fixedly connected with the trolley-pole, springs secured to and between said support and the frame 011 each side of said wheel and behind the pivotal connections of said frame, the said springs when unopposed maintaining said wings in a substantially horizontal position, and a cord attached to the forward end of said frame adapted when under tension to oppose the action of said springs and move said wings into horizontal alinement with said conducting-Wire.

8. The combination with a trolley-pole having a grooved-wheel adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a pivotal device connected with said trolley-po1e having a wing on each side of said wheel, each wing extending backwardly from its pivotal attachment to a point adjacent to the groove of said roller, thence backwardly and obliquely, and thence forwardly toward its free end, a spring to maintain said wings substantially parallel with the wire, and means to oppose the action of the spring and move said wings toward a vertical position, whereby when said trolley-wheel is brought between said wire and the car and into engagement with one of said wings, and the pole moved toward said wire, the said wing will guide said wheel into engagement with said wire.

9. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a device having outwardly-extending wings adj acent to the free end of the current-collector, a spring connected at one end with said device, a flexible connection from said spring to the car, and a slack flexible connection between the first-mentioned flexible connection and the current-collector whereby said device, by means of the first-mentioned flexible connection, may be manipulated to raise said wings independently of the current-collector, and whereby said wings, after being so raised, may, by the expansion of said spring, be temporarily depressed independently of the current-collector.

10. The combination with a current-collector adapted to engage a conducting-Wire, of a device having outwardly-extending wings adjacent to the end of the current-collector, a spring one end secured to said device and the other end to a support connected with said current-collector, the spring operating to normally hold said wings out of horizontal alinement with the conducting-wire, a spring of greater tension connected at one end with said device, a flexible connection from the last-ham ed spring to the car, and a slack flexi ble connection between the first-mentioned flexible connection and the current-collector, whereby said device, by means of the flrstmentioned flexible connection, may be manipulated to raise said wings independently of the current-collector, and whereby said wings, after being so raised, may, by the expansion of the spring of greater tension, be temporarily depressed independently of the current-collector.

11. The combination with a trolleypole having a grooved wheel adapted to engage a conducting-wire, of a frame adapted to lie on either side of said wheel, pivoted intermediately of the axle of said wheel, and carrying outwardly-extending wings, the inner ends of which lie adjacent to said wheel, a spring-support fixedly connected with the trolley-pole, springs secured to and between said support and the frame on each side of said wheel and behind the pivotal connections of said frame, the said springs when unopposed maintaining said wings in a substantially horizontal position, a spring of greater tension than the first-named springs connected at one end with the frame in front of the pivotal connections thereof, a flexible connection from the lastnamed spring to the car, and a slack flexible connection between the first-mentioned fiexitension, be temporarily depressed independble connection and the trolley-pole, whereby ently of the trolley-pole. IO said frame, by means of the firstnamed fleXi- In testimony of which invention I have ble connection, may be manipulated to dehereunto set my hand.

press the forward part of said frame and move EDWVARD K. LANDIS.

said wings independently of the trolley-pole, Witnesses:

and whereby said Wings,:after being so raised FRANK S. BUssER,

may, by the expansion of the spring of greater CAROL H. DEsHONG. 

